At the time of the midsummer Cabinet reshuffle, it was confidentially asserted that Alan Kelly would be the new Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It is not clear why the new Labour Deputy Leader was not given the jobs portfolio. Nor do we know how hard his case was pressed. Whether by accident or design, Kelly was landed in the middle of some of the biggest challenges facing the government for the remainder of its lifetime. Water, housing and climate change are – health aside – some of the most difficult issues on the current political agenda.